Door latch



July 3, 1956 R. R. TEETOR 2,753,201

DOOR LATCH Filed Oct. 6, 1951 2 Sheets-5heet 2 I I l INVENTOR. 44 i9 27 24 30 1231 051 5. JZ-BQZZJ 7; lmfga mmv M222 7 United States Patent DOOR LATCH Ralph R. Teetor, Hagerstown, Ind. Application October 6, 1951, Serial No. 250,046

7 Claims. (Cl. 292--64) The invention relates generally to latches and more particularly to latches adapted for use on swinging doors.

The general object of the invention is to provide a novel door latch which may be easily and inexpensively manufactured, which is simple to install, and which operates smoothly without any great effort on the part of the person opening or closing the door.

Another object is to provide a novel door latch that may be easily unlatched by a relatively small movement of a manually operable member in the direction of movement of the door on opening, although the invention is not limited to use of a manually operable member of this type.

A further object is to provide a novel door latch comprising a catch engageable with a keeper in the door frame, and a latch adapted to be actuated by the manually operable member and arranged normally to hold the catch in engagement with the keeper, the catch, however, being adapted to swing about the latch when the latter is in its normal, engaged position, on closing the door, so as to move into engagement with the keeper.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a door latch embodying the features of the invention and showing the parts in the position they occupy when the door is closed.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing the parts in the position they assume as the door is being opened.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Figs. 1 and 3 but showing the position the parts assume as the door is being closed.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

A door latch embodying the features of the invention is adapted for a wide variety of uses in connection with hinged doors of various types. By way of example, the form herein illustrated is shown as being adapted for the ordinary doors of a house. The latch includes a manually operable means for releasing it, which means may be of various types, within the scope of the invention, but is herein illustrated as of the push-pull type as distinguished from a rotatable member such as the rotatable knob that is used on ordinary door latches. The manually operable member of the present latch is herein shown as a knob, but it may be embodied in various other forms.

In its broad aspects, a door latch embodying the features of the invention comprises a casing adapted to be secured in the door and enclosing a pair of movable members, one of which is adapted to extend from the edge of the door to engage a keeper mounted in the door frame. Said one member is adapted to be normally held against bodily movement within the casing by the other member to prevent it from becoming released from the keeper, thus, holding the door latched. However, when the door is open and it is desired to close the door, said one member ice may pivot in one direction to permit it to pass into latching engagement with the keeper. To open the door, the second of the two members is adapted to be manually shifted out of engagement with the first member, and the latter is then movable both bodily and pivotally in the opposite direction to permit it to pass the keeper as the door is pushed open. The latch also includes a spring means tending to hold the first member against pivotal movement in either direction and against bodily movement, and also tending to hold the second member against movement so that it remains in engagement with the first member.

in the drawings 1 have indicated a portion of the door at 10 and a portion of the surrounding door frame at 11. The frame 11 is provided with the usual stop 9 to limit the movement of the door in one direction. The door frame ill is provided with a mortise 12 and a face plate or keeper 13 is mounted on the edge of the frame 11 in overlying relation to the mortise 12, the keeper 13 being provided with an opening 14 having an edge 15 adapted to be engaged by the latch to hold the door closed.

The latch comprises a casing 20 which is preferably of tubular form, having a generally rectangular crosssection which is uniform throughout the length of the casing. With this type of casing, a relatively simple mortise can be cut in the door to receive it, since it is of uniform cross-sectional shape throughout its length. At its outer end, the casing is provided with a face plate 21 secured to the tubular portion and set into the edge of the door in opposing relation to the keeper 13.

As heretofore mentioned, a latch embodying the features of the invention includes a pair of movable members, one of which is adapted to extend from the casing 20 to engage the keeper 13. Such movable member, in the present instance, comprises a catch 22. The latter is in the form of a block of metal which when viewed in one direction has the shape of a segment of a circle formed by an arcuate edge 23 and two generally radial edges 24 and 255. The arcuate edge 23 of the catch is adapted to engage the edge 15 of the keeper, and the latter is beveled, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, so that the point of engagement by the keeper is spaced inwardly from the face or edge of the door frame by the thickness of the keeper 13. The purpose of this is to give greater leverage to effect movement of the catch 22 as will hereinafter appear.

The catch 22 is bifurcated at its inner portion to provide two side portions 26, and the catch is adapted to be held against bodily movement inwardly of the casing 20 by a second member, indicated generally at 27 which is herein termed a latch member. The latch member includes an outwardly extending tongue 30 adapted to extend between the side portions 26 of the catch and to engage the edge of the central portion at one side of the casing, as indicated at 31, to hold the catch against bodily movement inwardly of the casing. However, the catch is free to pivot about the apex formed by the two radial edges 24 and 25 when so held by the tongue 30. This fact is utilized in permitting the catch to swing past the keeper when the door is being closed, as illustrated in Fig. 4. Thus, the catch 22. which normally extends from the edge of the door, will engage the outer edge of the keeper 13 as the door is being closed and the keeper will force the catch to swing inwardly of the casing about the point of engagement 31 of the tongue 30 with the catch. Such movement is in a counterclockwise direction as illustrated in Fig. 4. To facilitate this swinging movement of the catch by this engagement with the keeper 13, the edge 25 of the catch is curved as shown in the drawings.

The catch 22 is normally held in such position that it projects from the edge of the door by a spring means which permits it to swing inwardly of the door for the above described movement and permits other swinging a 3 movement as hereinafter described. In the present instance, the spring means is mounted on the latch member 27 and comprises a plunger 32 having a head 33 at its forward or outer end. The plunger 32 extends into the catch 22 between the side portions 26 and the head 33 is pivotally secured therein as by a pin 34 extending through the two side portions 26 and the head 33. The pin 34 is thus connected to the catch intermediate its arcuate and radial edges at a point on a radius of the catch approximately midway between the radial edges. Preferably the pin 34 is offset from the center line of the plunger 32, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, so that the plunger will occupy a position extending substantially longitudinally of the casing 20 and the spring means thus may act in a direction generally longitudinal of the casing. At its inner end, the plunger is telescopically received in a sleeve 35 which is pivotally supported by the latch member 27, the sleeve 35 being provided with a head 36 having a pin 37 extending therethrough for connection with the latch member 27. The pin 37 is offset from the center line of the plunger 32 similarly to the pin 34 but on the opposite side, so that it cooperates with the position of the pin 34 in holding the plunger 32 and the sleeve 35 generally longitudinally of the casing. Surrounding the sleeve 35 and the plunger 32 is a coiled spring 4% which abuts at one end against the head 36 of the sleeve 35 and at the other end against the head 33 of the plunger 32. The spring thus tends to swing the catch 22 outwardly of the casing about its point of engagement 31 with the tongue 30 of the latch member 27.

To prevent the catch 22 from being swung outwardly farther than is desired, the catch is provided with a pair of lugs or abutments 41 on its respective faces, which are adapted to engage with ribs 42 formed on the face plate 21 of the casing shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and more clearly in full lines in Figs. 3 and 5. The spring means thus tends to hold the catch so that it extends from the edge of the door with the lugs 41 in abutment with the ribs 42. The lugs 41 of course, are free to move transversely of the casing during the pivotal movement of the catch.

The latch member 27, as heretofore described, serves to hold the catch 22 against bodily movement in the casing and also provides a support for the spring means. The latch member 27 is preferably channel shaped and comprises a web portion 43 and two flange portions .4. The web portion 43 extends at one end of the latch member 27 to form the tongue 36, while the flange portions 44 of the latch member are extended to form laterally extending lugs 45 to receive and support the ends of the pivot pin 37 supporting the sleeve 35 of the spring means. The latch is pivotally supported in the casing by means of a pin 46 extending through the two flange portions 4 3 of the latch member and into one of the adjacent side walls of the casing, as indicated at 47 in Fig. 2. The other end of the pin 46 is secured to the opposite side wall of the casing as by a screw 48 extending through the side wall and threaded into the pin 46.

The latch member 27 is adapted to be released from the catch 22 to permit the latter to move bodily inward of the casing and to swing in the opposite direction for opening the door. To this end, the flange portions 44 are extended at their inner end to provide arms adapted to straddle a manually operable means. In the present instance the manually operable means comprises a tube 51 extending transversely through the door and secured therein by escutcheons 52 which are herein shown as threaded on the ends of the tube 51 in abutment with the opposite faces of the door. Within the tube 51 is mounted a spindle 53 which extends beyond the ends thereof to receive members which may be manually grasped. In the present instance these members are shown as knobs 54. The spindle 53 thus extends through the casing 20 and at an intermediate portion thereof is provided with a cross pin 55 adapted to extend through slots 56 to engage the 4 arms of the latch member 27. The spindle 53 is of sufficient length so that the distance between the knobs 54 is slightly greater than the length of the tube 51. The spindle 53 may thus be moved longitudinally of the tube 51 by pushing or pulling on one or the other of the knobs.

Such movement of the spindle 53 thus shifts the cross pin and effects a swinging movement of the latch member 27 about its pivot 46. This swinging movement of the latch member is sufficient to swing the tongue 30 out of engagement with the catch 22 from the point of engagement 31. The adjacent intermediate portion of the catch 22 is held in spaced relation to the adjacent side of the casing 20 so that the tongue 30, when the latch member 27 is thus pivoted, may lie flatwise against the side of the casing and permit the catch 22 to be moved inwardly thereof over the tongue 30, as indicated in Fig. 3. To facilitate such inward movement of the catch and permit it to freely move, a pair of rollers 57 are mounted on the respective faces of the catch 22 at the apex thereof and these rollers roll along the adjacent side of the casing as the catch moves bodily inward thereof. The rollers are shown as being supported by a pin 60 which extends through the catch 22 and, in the present instance, the pin 60 constitutes the portion engaged by the tongue 30 as indicated at 31.

To open the door, one or the other of the knobs 54 is pushed or pulled, depending upon which side of the door the person is standing, and such movement shifts the spindle 53 to swing the latch member 27 and thus move the tongue 30 out of engagement with the catch. The movement of the spindle 53, necessary to effect such result, is in the same direction as the direction in which the door swings on opening. Such movement of the latch member 27 swings the pivot pin 37 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1 of the drawings, thus, compressing the spring 40. The latter therefore tends to swing the latch member 27 counterclockwise about its pivot pin 46 and thereby tends to shift the tongue 30 into engagement with the catch 22 at the point 31. The pressure of the spring also tends to shift the spindle 53 back to its original position.

When the tongue 30 is moved out of engagement with the catch 22 at the point 31, as shown in Fig. 3, the force exerted on the knob tends to swing the door open. This causes the catch 22 to bear against the beveled edge 15 of the keeper, and such pressure causes a swinging movement of the catch in a clockwise direction as well as a movement thereof bodily inward of the casing, since the tongue 30 no longer restrains the catch against such bodily movement. The casing, however, confines the movement of the catch to a predetermined path, and the inner portion of the arcuate edge 23 of the catch bears against the adjacent side of the casing to prevent the catch from swinging beyond the point necessary for the keeper to pass the catch. The fact that the edge 15 of the keeper is beveled increases the leverage from the point of contact of the catch with the beveled edge to the axis of the rollers 57 so that the catch may be easily pivoted in a clockwise direction about its axis and will readily move into the casing. Moreover, the rollers 57 avoid frictional resistance of the casing to such movement and render the operation of the catch smooth and easy. The spring 40 tends to resist such inward movement and is compressed to some extent by such movement. The catch thus moves to the position shown in Fig. 3, when the tongue 30 is shifted out of engagement with the catch, the force exerted on the door in the direction of opening causing this result. It will also be noted that the compression to the spring 40 by such movement of the catch increases the force exerted by the spring and tending to swing the latch member back to its original position.

I claim:

1. A door latch comprising a tubular casing adapted to be mounted in a door, a catch located within said casing and adapted to project therefrom for engagement with a keeper, spring means extending generally lengthwise within the casing and pivotally connected at one end to said catch, and a manually operable latch mounted in said casing and normally in engagement with one edge of said catch and holding the latter for swinging movement about said edge on closing the door, said spring means being connected at its other end to said latch and opposing movement of said latch, said catch being laterally confined by said casing but being otherwise free of said casing to slide inwardly therein when said latch is disengaged from said catch, whereby said catch by engagement with the keeper swings about said edge and moves bodily inward of the casing on opening the door, said spring means opposing the swinging movement of said catch on closing said door and the bodily movement on opening the door.

2. A door latch comprising a tubular casing adapted to be mounted on a door, a substantially sector shape catch having an arcuate edge and two angularly spaced radial edges forming an apex at their intersection, said catch being located within said casing and adapted to project therefrom with its arcuate edge engageable with a keeper, spring means within the casing and pivotally connected at one end to said catch at a point on a radius approximately midway between the radial edges of said catch, and a manually operable latch mounted in said casing and normally in engagement with said catch adjament its apex with the catch swingable in one direction about said apex on closing the door, said spring means being connected at its other end to said latch and opposing movement of said latch, said catch being laterally confined by said casing but being otherwise free of said casing to shift bodily inwardly therein when said latch is disengaged from said catch, whereby said catch by its engagement with the keeper swings in the opposite direction about said apex and moves bodily inward of the casing on opening the door, said spring means opposing the swinging movement of said catch on closing said door and the bodily movement on opening the door.

3. A door latch comprising a tubular casing adapted to be mounted in a door, a substantially sector shape catch having an arcuate edge and two angularly spaced radial edges forming an apex at their intersection, said catch being located within said casing and adapted to project therefrom with its arcuate edge engageable with a keeper, spring means within the casing and pivotally connected at one end to said catch between its apex and its arcuate edge, and a manually operable latch mounted in said casing and normally in engagement with said catch adjacent its apex with the catch swingable in one direction about said apex on closing the door, said spring means being connected, at its other end to said latch, said catch being free to shift inwardly within the casing under pressure of the keeper on opening the door when said latch is disengaged from said catch, whereby said catch is swung in the opposite direction about said apex and moves bodily inward of the casing against the action of said spring means, the arcuate edge of said catch having a portion extending inwardly of the casing beyond the pivotal connection of the spring means with the catch, said portion being engageable with the adjacent side of the casing to prevent the spring means from swinging the catch beyond the position necessary to permit the keeper to pass the catch.

4. A door latch comprising an elongated casing adapted to be mounted in a door, a catch mounted in the outer end of said casing and adapted to project therefrom for engagement with a keeper, said catch having abutments on its opposite faces and said casing having transversely extending ribs at its outer end engageable by said abutments to limit outward movement of the catch, spring means tending to force said catch outwardly of the easing and pivotally connected to said catch, and a manually operable latch mounted in said casing and normally in engagement with one edge of said catch, said catch being swingable about said edge on closing the door, said abutments being movable transversely of said ribs, whereby the pressure of the keeper on opening the door swings said catch about said edge and moves it bodily inward of the casing.

5. A door latch comprising a tubular casing generally rectangular in cross-section, a catch adapted to engage a keeper and mounted in said casing and having a pair of axially spaced rollers adapted to roll along one side of said casing when the catch is forced inwardly of the casing by pressure against the keeper on opening the door, and a manually operable latch having an extending portion engageable with said catch between said rollers for holding the catch against inward movement, the portion of said catch between said rollers being held in spaced relation to said side by said rollers whereby said extending portion of the latch may be moved out of engagement with said catch and the catch may roll inwardly over said extending portion.

6. A door latch comprising a tubular casing adapted to be mounted in a door, .a catch mounted in said casing and adapted to project therefrom for engaging a keeper, said catch having a pair of rollers in rolling engagement with one side of said casing, spring means connected to said catch and tending to force said catch outwardly of the casing, said catch being pivotally supported by said rollers, and a manually operable latch normally in engagement with said catch adjacent said rollers but permitting pivotal movement of the catch in one direction about said rollers on closing the door, said catch pivoting about said rollers in the opposite direction and moving bodily inward of the casing with the rollers rolling along said side of the casing when said latch is disengaged therefrom and the door is opened.

7. A door latch comprising a tubular casing adapted to be mounted in a door, a catch mounted in said casing and adapted to project therefrom for engaging a keeper, spring means connected to said catch and tending to force said catch outwardly of the casing, manually releasable means normally engaging one edge of said catch for holding said catch against movement inwardly of the easing, and means pivotally supporting said catch and permitting pivotal movement thereof in one direction about said edge on closing the door, and said last-mentioned means being mounted on said catch adjacent said edge and engaging the adjacent side of the casing to confine said edge to movement in a straight line inwardly of the casing under pressure against the keeper when said latch is disengaged therefrom with the catch pivoting in the opposite direction about said edge when the door is opened.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,003,731 Beito June 4, 1935 2,240,400 Johnson Apr. 29, 1941 2,293,700 Curtiss Aug. 25, 1942 2,347,468 Diemer Apr. 25, 1944 2,428,401 Waller Oct. 7, 1947 2,475,392 Juszczak .l July 5, 1949 2,552,815 Roethel May 15, 1951 2,696,398 Teetor Dec. 7, 1954 

